


When You Say Nothing At All

by FormidableChronicler



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Awesome Pepper Potts, F/M, Fluff and Angst, MCU Through Pepper's Eyes, Pepperony - Freeform, Protective Pepper Potts, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:54:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22312072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FormidableChronicler/pseuds/FormidableChronicler
Summary: Sometimes, even Tony Stark gets quiet or doesn't have the right words.Pepper knows what he means anyway.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 3
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I miss Tony and Pepper, so when this idea popped into my head, I ran with it! It takes place throughout the MCU timeline, starting a few years before IM1, when Pepper first starts working with Tony. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy! Comments and kudos are love, and make updates occur faster ;) <3

He didn’t say anything.

That, in itself, had her gaping. She’d only worked for Tony Stark for three months, but Pepper was fairly certain he hadn’t stopped talking during any of it. Even the time she’d found him half asleep in the garage workshop, he’d been mumbling —-something about equations and theorems and AC/DC —- and he’d tiredly rambled at her until she’d successfully gotten him out of the workshop and into his bed. Perhaps he’d fallen silent after that, but she hadn’t stuck around long enough to find out. It wasn’t appropriate to linger in your boss’s bedroom, and Pepper was all about proprieties and following them.

But it had taken a long time to get the sight of his soft, sleepy eyes and exhaustedly sweet smile as he told her thank you and good night out of her mind.

But still. He’d talked the entire time, driven in the way she’d already discovered only Tony could be. Just as he had been that afternoon, when she’d found him drunk at 2pm in the pool, with way more people than the Fire Marshall would have deemed safe, chattering to Rhodey about his latest missiles while numerous women floating around him in the pool tried to get his attention.

Pepper had received his full attention the moment she’d stepped outside. There’d been a wince, and a whispered, “Busted,” before he’d scurried out of the pool and over to her, launching into a diatribe of excuses and reasons for the impromptu party on a Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m extremely happy Colonel Rhodes has dropped by to visit, Mr. Stark,” she’d said between clenched teeth. She would not be distracted by the sight of Tony—lean, more muscular than he should be, and dazzling— in a swimsuit. She would not. “but you are supposed to be at a board meeting. Mr. Stane is about to have my head.”

“Oh, come on, I can miss a board meeting for Rhodey! Help me out here, Pep. I never get to see my honey bear, he’s always off saving the world. Pep? Pepper? Please? Pepper...”

“It’s Miss Potts,” she said, teeth clenching further. She had to keep her distance, had to keep it professional. If she didn’t, those warm and dreamy brown eyes would draw her in, and she already knew what happened to women who fell for Tony Stark.

She had no desire to drown heartache with a gallon of ice cream anytime soon.

“Miss Potts,” he corrected, though the brilliance of his smile dimmed a little. “Please? I’ll make it up to you, you’re a size 8 in shoes, right? Get me outta this board meeting and I’ll get you the brand new Louboutin's that just came out, don’t tell me you won’t love them, I’ve seen your shoes...”

“You cannot bribe me to get out of a board meeting.”

Another wince, but once again he was talking, “Okay, no bribes, bad form, just let me...”

“Mr. Stane has called six times,”’ Pepper interrupted. With a cringe, Tony stopped arguing, though she could have sworn he still grumbled under his breath. “His secretary has called twelve. I cannot ignore them because you felt like throwing a party, you need to go to this board meeting, stop trying to talk over me!” She shouted when he’d opened his mouth to argue yet again. “Do you want me to quit? Because if you don’t get to the board meeting, Mr. Stane is going to think I am untrustworthy and irresponsible and I am not about to ruin my reputation because you wanted a margarita. I will turn in my resignation right now before the professional work I’ve tried so hard to build gets destroyed. So tell me, Mr. Stark. Do you want me to quit?”

“What? No! No, of course I don’t want you to quit, Miss Potts, that is just...the complete opposite of what I want if I’m being honest, but while I’m being honest I should tell you that I really, really, don’t want to go to the board meeting, Obie doesn’t need me, so if there is anyway you could get me out of it...”

“There isn’t.” Again with the clenched teeth but Pepper figured it was better than screeching.

“Right.” Face falling, Tony turned to stare at the pool, where Rhodey was now surrounded by the women, looking rather overwhelmed. “Guess I better go change then. Can you tell Obie I’ll be there in 30? I’ve got a few things to do, like shower and drink about a gallon of coffee so I don’t fall asleep in the middle of the presentation...although that could be interesting, it’s been a while since...”

“I will call Mr. Stane,” Pepper interrupted. “Will that be all, Mr. Stark?”

Shifting, Tony slid his over eyes to meet hers. They were so rich and warm, even though he was so incredibly exasperating, so oftentimes irresponsible, it nearly made her smile. As if he knew her thoughts, his own lips quirked a little, while he watched her intently. Something about the quiet way he studied her made her body tingle, had a flush blooming over her skin— she’d seen him be that focused on a project before but it was another thing entirely to have it centered on her.

“That will be all, Miss Potts,” he murmured. And then, because the man clearly couldn’t help himself, clearly needed to have the last word, he added, “Don’t quit and I’ll get you three new Louboutin's.”

She hadn’t quit. Instead, she’d ensured he made it to the office, and went through her paperwork, making certain everything was completed. It wasn’t until the end of the day—well past business hours—that she came across the letters.

Luckily for her, Tony had sought solace in his office before heading home for the night, scowling at the minutes from the meeting with a glass of scotch in one hand and the top of his collar popped. Suit jacket thrown over the back of his chair, his tie was loosened around his neck, as if he’d yanked at it until he could breathe easier. The sleeves of his shirt had been rolled up to reveal his forearms, and his hair stuck up just a bit in the back, like he’d run his hands frustratedly through it.

Pepper had no idea why the sight of him relaxed and slightly disheveled like that made her mouth water, so she took a moment to compose herself before clearing her throat.

Tony turned, face lighting up. “Potts! Just in time. Do you like Thai? I want Thai. I need something with a kick to get me through these notes. The meeting was heinous, I nearly did fall asleep in there, you thought I was kidding, but it was so abysmally _boring_ —“

Pepper held up the letters. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

His eyes flicked to the letters and he went still, not moving an inch while Pepper stepped closer.

“Mr. Stark? Why didn’t you tell me? Or Mr. Stane?”

God knew it might have gotten rid of the scowl on Obidiah’s face for once . But Tony didn’t say anything. For the first time since she met him, Tony Stark was completely silent, watching her with wide eyes.

“Tony?” She asked quietly. She glanced down at the letters again, although by this point she knew the words by heart.

“It’s....nothing,” he finally said, and didn’t elaborate further.

“It’s not nothing,” she said softly. “You helped these students go to MIT?”

“No,” he said, so roughly Pepper jumped.

“You didn’t? But...”

“They got themselves into MIT.” He drained the scotch, placed the glass on the table. “I did nothing.”

“These students are all saying that because you established a scholarship with an endowment large enough to support multiple students with financial need every year, they can go to MIT. Without that, they never would have stood a chance. That they will receive enough money to cover all their tuition and fees, including room and board, thanks to you. That it never would have been possible for them otherwise. That isn’t true?”

With a shrug, he turned to stare out the window, and didn’t respond.

“I don’t understand,” Pepper said. And she didn’t, she truly didn’t, until Tony ducked his head, keeping his face pointedly staring the other way, a hint of a flush appearing at the nape of his neck.

“You tell me every thought that pops into your head,” Pepper said, stepping over to stand by him. He stiffened, but didn’t move away when she continued speaking. “Even when you probably shouldn’t. I’m fairly certain I don’t need to know your exact thoughts on Mr. Stane’s favorite restaurant or Mr. Hogan’s football team. But you tell me. You never stop telling me things.” She paused, waited for him to glance her way. “But you said nothing about this. And you could have. You can tell me when you do something incredible like this, Tony.”

“I—-“ he started, then snapped his mouth shut.

“Yes, it is incredible,” she said, knowing full well what he was about to argue. “It was very generous and kind of you. I know you think the world sees you as some kind of heartless, genius, billionaire. That they call you The Merchant of Death. But I know better, Mr. Stark. So does Rhodey. You can tell us.”

She didn’t scold him when he huffed out a small laugh. She could have, could have informed him not to be so callous, not to brush it off.

But she knew he wasn’t. It was in his eyes, it was why he wouldn’t look directly at her.

He didn’t think he deserved gratitude. Didn’t think he deserved to be looked at in a positive light.

She could see it in the way his shoulders hunched, the way his fingers tapped. _“I don’t deserve thanks,”_ she could practically hear him say. _“It’s nothing, I’m not that person, I’m no hero.”_

Pepper vowed, then and there, that no matter how exasperating the man could be, she would always stand by his side. So he would know he had one person around who knew his worth. Who knew Tony Stark had a heart, though he tried his best to keep it hidden.

So she put the letter away, and straightened his tie. If she let her hands linger, just to soak in the warmth of him, to rest briefly over that precious, hidden heart, well. That was her own foolishness. “Will that be all, Mr. Stark?”

The little half-smile appeared, and he nodded. Pepper smiled back, squeezing his arm, and went to get her purse.

As she was leaving, she turned back to catch the silhouette of him still standing at the window, staring out into the night.

And she realized that there was a very good chance that it was when Tony Stark was being silent that he was saying the most.


	2. Chapter 2

Pepper spent three months in hell.

It wasn’t because her life had essentially lost all meaning. Her job was to be Tony Stark’s personal assistant, and he was so overwhelmingly dependent that without him, she had nothing to do. No meetings to prepare for and run. No art collections to curate. No women to subtly show out, no paparazzi to threaten, no sleepy inventor to lure out of his workshop and make sure he ate and slept. Nothing.

It wasn’t because of the press, although they had taken to following her around constantly. Had she heard anything, what did she think? What would the infamous Pepper Potts do now? All she had to do was one little interview, and she would be set for life. When would she do an exclusive? When would she tell all, give them Tony Stark’s secrets?

Would she like a book deal or a stint on The Morning Show?

It wasn’t because of Obidiah, although he was unexpectedly completely unhelpful. 

_“No, Pepper, I don’t have news. Stop asking for updates, I will tell you when there is one."_

_"No, Miss Potts, there hasn’t been a ransom, and SI has a strict policy on that anyway. You wouldn’t be able to help if there was."_

_"No, Miss Potts, we don’t need you at SI, I’ve got it handled."_

_"No, we are not sending you to Afghanistan. There’s nothing you can do. Take a break, Miss Potts, let the professionals handle it. Get some sleep, you didn’t look very well at the press conference this morning. I need you looking more together than that.”_

It was the not knowing. Was Tony alive? Was he dead? Was he alive but wishing he was dead? Were they hurting him, right now, while she sat alone on her patio, wishing she knew where he was, begging the empty night sky for him to be okay?

The thought of Tony hurting, of Tony being held captive, shook her to her core, made the food she so rarely consumed those days threaten to rush back up. If he was alive they were hurting him. She wasn’t naive, knew from the way Rhodey hesitated when he spoke with her that there was a very real possibility Tony was being tortured. That somewhere out there, he could be bleeding, begging, desperate to get them to stop. It sliced her to the bone, the thought of Tony hurt and vulnerable that way, and became a constant roar in the back of her mind, never ceasing. She wanted to scream her lungs out, to hit something, anything, until Tony was brought back, until he was safe and unharmed and _home_.

And as time went on, as one month became two, and two crawled into three, there still wasn’t a ransom. Which meant the odds of Tony still being alive were so very, very slim. There was no proof of life. It meant he might not ever come home, might not ever again walk through the door and beam at her, might not ever run a hand down her arm, and look at her with that soft half-smile that secretly made her feel warm from her head to her toes.

The not knowing was hell. And Pepper had far too vivid an imagination. At night she’d stare at her ceiling, various ways Tony could be being tortured running through her mind.

In addition to not being able to eat much, Pepper stopped sleeping at her apartment. The only place she managed to get some sort of sleep was when she visited the mansion, and JARVIS convinced her to sit down and rest.

Only there, surrounded by Tony’s things, with the scent of him still on the blanket she’d stolen from the workshop, did her brain turn off long enough for Pepper to get an hour of sleep at a time.

And then Rhodey called.

“We’ve got him,” Rhodey half-shouted, half-laughed into the phone. “He’s alive, Pepper. I’m bringing him home. He’s alive.”

She didn’t cry. Not then. Not when she waited at the airport, and the plane finally landed. Not when Tony stood and descended the ramp, his arm in a sling, his eyes haunted and his face covered with bruises. Not when she saw that he was so, so thin, and something dark flickered and jumped behind the brown eyes she’d always loved.

But she must have gotten far too close, because he called her on it in seconds. “Your eyes are red. Shed a few tears for your long lost boss?”

_Of course!_ Pepper wanted to weep. _I’ve been terrified for you! You were taken, you were harmed, and I had no idea how to get you back!_

Every ounce of her being wanted to throw her arms around him, and breathe him in, and never let the man go. Ever. She wanted to guide him home and let him rest, and tell the rest of the world to go to hell until he recovered.

But that flicker sparked behind his eyes again—and she knew that it wasn’t what he wanted right then. Tony Stark was on a mission, and since it was unlikely he was given any control over his own life the last three months, she didn’t dare be the one to get in the way of it now. She’d save the fussing and caring for later.

Because he seemed to need it, because he seemed like he was struggling to keep it together, Pepper replied, “Tears of joy. I hate job-hunting.”

A shadow of approval passed over his features before he sniffed. “Break’s over,” he replied, and led them to a press conference.

When it was over, Stane herded her to her car. “I’ve got him, Potts. You go home, get ready. We’re gonna have a hell of a fall out over Tony’s little statement. I’ll see ya tomorrow.”

She didn’t want to go home, get ready. She wanted to get back to Tony. There was so much he said at the press conference (SI shutting down its weapons plants, holy hell, Tony) but there was also so much he _didn't_ say. Young Americans died in front of him. He felt responsible for it since he had become part of an unchecked system - there was more there, so much more. She knew Tony would hide it, that he would never voluntarily bring it up, and Pepper doubted Stane would be able to read between the lines or get him to open up.

But Stane grinned at her over the car door, seemingly refusing to leave until she got in.

She got in.

Running errands would buy her the time she needed. Stane could talk with Tony, get him home, and then he would leave. The odds of him staying the night with Tony were slim to none, that wasn’t how Stane operated. And Rhodey had work to do at the base.

As wonderful as JARVIS was, Pepper wasn’t about to leave Tony alone his first night back. So she’d get groceries and Tony’s favorite take out, and anything else that might make him feel safe.

By the time she pulled up at the mansion, it was late and darkness had fallen. Pepper parked and grabbed the groceries, then asked JARVIS to let Tony know she was there.

As she walked up, the front door opened to reveal Tony blinking at her, a small wrinkle appearing between his brows.

“Potts?” He asked, staring at the groceries, and then back to her. He said nothing more, only blinked again, and Pepper felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces, as everything Tony wasn’t saying clicked into place.

He’d thought he’d be alone. Kidnapped and tortured in a cave for three months and he thought his first night home no one would be there, that he would be alone. Because for some reason, whatever had happened in that cave, made him feel he didn’t deserve it. Well. Pepper was having none of that.

“I’ve got everything we could need for a feast,” she said briskly, keeping all sympathy out of her voice. Tony would bolt straight to the workshop if he thought she was here out of pity. “Do you feel like pizza or Italian? Personally, I could eat my weight in spaghetti, but I think it’s your call. I got a pizza to go just in case. As long as you don’t want another cheeseburger, I’ll be set.”

“Potts,” Tony said again, as if Pepper wasn’t quite real, as if he wasn’t sure she was really there. Pepper fought back the sob threatening to burst from her chest and made her way to the kitchen, easily making her way there though not all of the lights were on and it was dark. She heard the door close behind her, and Tony’s footsteps follow her path. The way he silently followed her to the kitchen had her chin wobbling a little — he was so quiet, he was _never_ this quiet—- so she cleared her throat and chattered for him.

“The line at the store was terrible, I should have had Happy pick things up this morning but I had a few other things on my mind. Did Obidiah get you settled in okay?” She asked, putting away the groceries. When there was no response, she shifted, to find Tony standing stiffly by the counter, gripping it tightly. No longer looking at her, he stared through the dark out at the ocean, breaths coming in short pants. Closing the pantry door, she stepped closer, terrified to discover that he was shaking.

“Tony?” She asked softly. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if he was okay, but that was a rather absurd question at the moment. “Is there....anything you need? What can I do?”

She wasn’t surprised when she didn’t get an answer. He’d spent three months in a cave, alone in the dark with a terrible injury and god only knew what else. Rhodey had said something about an arc reactor on the phone, but she hadn’t wanted to push.

The dark, she realized. The lower lights were on in the kitchen, but it was still too dim. “JARVIS, can you turn on all the lights, please? I can barely see. And could you please start up one of the rom-coms I like? Maybe _While You Were Sleeping?_ I feel like something cute and cheesy.”

Every light in the house clicked on as JARVIS understood her intent. Deciding that cooking wasn’t the best route at the moment, Pepper got the pizza out and placed a few slices on a plate.

The smell and the lights finally caught Tony’s attention. Tearing his gaze away from the window, he accepted the plate she offered him, tilting his head.

“I’m staying,” she said, answering the question he hadn’t quite asked. “If that’s alright? It’s a long drive home and I like your TV better. And I don’t know about you, but I really need Sandra Bullock and some company right now.”

Swallowing, Tony nodded. He led them into the living room and sat down, watching her with eyes that seemed endless, that devoured her as if once again trying to decide if she were real or not.

_Don’t leave,_ they seemed to scream, while his shoulders shook and his hands trembled. _Don’t leave me alone. Don't leave, don't leave, don't leave.._

So Pepper got the blanket she’d slept with while he was gone and threw it over the both of them. She took their plates when they finished and sat them on the coffee table, for once not caring about leaving them out.

And then she scooted as close to Tony as she dared, curling around him without being obvious about it. When she felt him drop into sleep minutes later, Pepper ran a hand through his hair and kissed his forehead.

She cried, then. Silent, slow tears that trickled down her cheek, that she had to wipe away before they could drop onto Tony. She wept quietly, until she had nothing left, then curled closer around Tony and tumbled into sleep as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always wonder about where Pepper was, what Pepper was doing and how heartbroken she had to be while Tony was in Afghanistan, so this was my opportunity to explore a little with that. (I also don't believe she would have ever left him alone that first night back)
> 
> Also, _While You Were Sleeping_ is the BEST pick-me-up when you're having a rotten day <3


	3. Chapter 3

She’d chosen well.

Turning, Pepper studied the vivid red and gold lingerie she’d selected. Maybe it was a little obvious and a tad ridiculous, but she knew without a doubt Tony would love it. The red lace somehow meshed well with her hair, and the gold brought out the warm tones of her skin. It was perfect for the step she was preparing for them to take that night, this first night for the two of them.

Not that Tony knew that. She had a few surprises in store for him that evening. The lingerie, she thought, reaching over for her dark green dress, was just the start.

Their change from colleagues to friends to more had certainly been an interesting one. She still pinched herself each morning, still verified with JARVIS that it wasn’t a dream. She was CEO of Stark Industries, Tony was Iron Man, and they were dating. And though she still wanted to throttle him when she thought about the palladium incident, things were going well between them. Very well.

As if to make up for his behavior during the palladium and Vanko mess (not to mention the damn strawberries), Tony was behaving like an attentive gentleman. Lillies, her favorite flower, were sent to her office weekly. JARVIS scheduled dinner for them whenever she had time for it in her schedule. They’d gone to the opera, twice, and Tony hadn’t complained a bit. Instead, he’d watched silently, and then asked Pepper insightful questions on the way back to her apartment.

Where he’d walked her up, kissed her enough to make her head spin and her blood stir, and left.

Pepper was about to go mad.

That would get fixed tonight, she vowed. She knew Tony was letting her make the decision to take their relationship to the next level and she wasn’t about to wait any longer. She’d waited long enough as it was.

Part of that was her own nerves and self-doubt. Who knew better than she about Tony’s past, and the women that were part of it? A small part of her, a terrible, insecure part, was terrified she wasn’t going to measure up.

Which was stupid. Foolish, and stupid. Tony would never compare her like that, would never act that way. But it twisted in her gut anyway, and kept her from inviting Tony in.

He never said anything, and that more than anything helped her make her mind. If she kept this up, he would start to doubt himself, would think she was upset with the lovers he’d had in the past. Which she wasn’t, really. She just...she hadn’t had as many, and it had been a long time.

God, she hoped it really was like riding a bicycle.

When he picked her up that evening, she was ready, despite the butterflies in her stomach. They went to a beautiful restaurant at the edge of a cliff, with a fantastic view. Ordinarily it would have made her happy and content, but Tony wore her favorite suit, and his hair was styled adorably, and his eyes crinkled when he smiled so she knew he was happy, really happy, and he was in the middle of telling her an anecdote about Dummy when she couldn’t stand it anymore. She wanted to take him home, to be alone with him.

She wanted him.

“Tony,” she said, when the story was over and he was taking a sip of wine. “I’d like to head back now.”

“You what? We haven’t even had dessert yet, Pep, and I know how you love your dessert. You feeling okay? Are you sick? What is it, what are your symptoms? I’ll have JARVIS get you medicine, just hang in there, okay? Pep?”

“No, no, I’m not sick.”

“Oh.” Tony’s face fell. “Okay.”

“No, no, that isn’t what—“

“It’s okay, Pep.” This time the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I get it.”

“You really don’t. We can discuss it on the way.”

“Sure,” he said quietly, gesturing for the check.

“Tony,” she said the moment they were in the car. “Whatever it is you’re thinking, it isn’t what I meant.”

He didn’t answer. That wasn’t a good sign, and not how she’d intended the evening to go at all.

Only one way to solve it. She could tell him her plan, right now in the car, but something told her he wouldn’t believe her. So she kept quiet, and waited while he drove them to her apartment. Luckily it wasn’t far, and he was pulling into the lot before she knew it.

“Night,” he said, staring gloomily at his hands on the steering wheel.

“Tony? Could you come inside?”

“Hmm? Oh. Yeah. Sure.” Quietly, they got out of the car. Tony’s shoulders hunched while they walked to her door, and he kept his hands on his pockets.

_He thinks I’m leaving him,_ Pepper realized, and oh, her heart broke a little. Had her insecurities made Tony think she was keeping him at arm’s length? That she didn’t really want to be in a relationship with him?

As soon as she got to her door, she leaned into him, pressed her lips to his for a soft kiss. At first he stayed still, almost unmoving, but then his lips parted under hers, and he made a soft noise in the back of his throat. Feeling bold, Pepper deepened the kiss, softly licking her way into his mouth, drawing another noise out of him. Running her hand down his arm, then looping it under his suit jacket so she could wrap her arm around him, she shifted so that she pressed up right against him, feeling his warmth and the stirring of his interest.

Tony inhaled sharply, and twitched. “Pep?” he asked, opening his eyes and blinking owlishly at her.

“Come inside,” Pepper said, and opened the door.

“I....you....I thought you were breaking up with me,” he said, following her inside and closing the door. “You said you wanted to go and I thought you were breaking up with me.”

“No.” Pressing another soft kiss to his lips, Pepper pushed away her insecurities, and took a deep breath. “My plans for the evening were the complete opposite, actually.”

“Really?” He asked, voice a little breathless compared to normal while she stepped back and lifted her hand to the strap of her dress. Running a hand through his hair, Tony didn’t notice. “You. You had plans? Pepper, wow, Jesus, I’m about to swoon, I know how you are with plans, you are amazing at plans and organizing and.... holyfuckingshit,” he choked as she gently nudged her dress off and let it pool to her feet on the floor.

“I did plan in advance.”

His eyes widened, then darkened, smoldering to an intensity that had her shivering in the flimsy lingerie. That only made the heat in Tony’s eyes sharpen, and he sucked in a breath, a small tremor rippling through him while she moved, the skimpy underwear clinging to her in all the right places.

It felt good, she decided, to stand there before him in nothing else, while we was fully dressed. Something about it felt right, had any hints of doubt vanishing while she came to a stop in front of him in nothing but her underwear and heels.

A small, strangled groan ripped from him, and his eyes roved up and down her body, desire rolling off him in waves. It punched through her, caused heat to curl low in her belly, and pool between her legs.

His speechlessness made her lips curve. She’d been expecting him to babble, to endlessly inform her of every thought passing through his mind as he always did, but instead he stared reverently, drinking her in.

Wanting to tease him a little, she ran her hands up the sides of her body, enjoying the way the lace felt beneath her hands. Tony choked, nearly tripping over his own two feet as he finally, finally moved and touched her.

“You’re in my colors,” he said with awe, running a hand lightly over her bare shoulder. At the caress she shivered, drawn to the warmth radiating from him.

“It felt right,” she said, reaching out for him, needing to feel him. Entwining her hand in his, she laced their fingers and pressed closer, breathing him in.

“Pepper...” he said, dropping his forehead to hers. He cut whatever else he’d been about to say off, but Pepper heard it anyway.

_I don’t deserve this._

“Yes, you do deserve it,” she said firmly. “Tony. Look at me.”

Head lifting, Tony tore his gaze away from the lingerie long enough to meet her eyes.

“You deserve this. _We_ deserve each other. This night is for that. For us. Now. You wanna get out of that and into something a little more comfortable?” She teased, reaching for his belt loop.

Tony twitched again, huffing out a breath while she slipped her hand under his shirt and ran her fingers softly over his stomach just below his belly button. “Jesus, Pep.”

“We should probably move this to the bedroom,” she said, moving her hands out of his shirt and grabbing his tie instead. With a gentle tug, she had him following her to her room, and now he babbled, words tumbling out one after another, making her laugh.

“God, Pep, Jesus, you’re killing me. This is it, this will be what kills me, I can’t breathe, you’ve taken my breath away. You’re so beautiful —-all the time, you’re always gorgeous Pepper, but in that outfit? Holy hell—- I think I swallowed my tongue. I literally think that happened and I didn’t know that could happen. I have to be dreaming. Pepper? Am I dreaming?”

“No, Tony,” she smiled, guiding him to the bed. Nudging him gently, she had him sit, then bent down to slowly undress him.

She took her time, as if she were unwrapping a present, going painstakingly slow and roaming her hands everywhere. Every so often she would elicit a gasp or a groan from Tony, which only made the pressure between her legs build, made her long to shed their clothes completely and sink onto him, capturing him in her heat.

Tony whimpered, as if he knew her thoughts.

“Pepper,” he said shakily, as she pulled away his shirt and left him bare-chested before her. The light of the arc reactor softly illuminated his features, casting a hint of blue light over his face and making his eyes shine.

It wasn’t the first she’d seen him shirtless since the reactor—she’d never forget the day he’d asked for help changing it. But she knew he hadn’t had any lovers since Afghanistan, hadn’t had anyone see him vulnerable in quite this way before.

She knelt, placing one hand on his knees and the other on his chest, right above the reactor.

“Can I?” She asked, knowing very well the answer could be no. What Obidiah had done, how he had stolen Tony’s heart, still gave her nightmares, and she knew it was no different for Tony, knew from JARVIS that sometimes he still woke gasping for breath and clutching his chest, shuddering as if he were still afraid it had been taken.

Drawing an unsteady breath, Tony nodded, and Pepper lowered her hand to trace around the reactor. Nostrils flaring, he sucked in a breath, but he stayed still while Pepper stroked the skin around it. She knew not too long ago his chest had been covered with what Rhodey referred to as a high-tech jig saw puzzle, that Tony had been in pain because of the device keeping him alive. And she had never known.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered, pressing her hand to the reactor. “I don’t know what I would have done if we’d lost you, Tony.”

“I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely, reaching up to cover her hand with his, to link them together. “For how I acted.”

That made her look away from the device and into his eyes. It wasn’t the first time he’d apologized since the Expo a— it wasn’t even the second. She wasn’t about to let it go, but she was surprised to hear him say it now. Blushing at her quizzical look, Tong pressed his lips together, curling in on himself. She knew he was shamed about his behavior in Monaco and during his birthday party, but she’d never seen it weigh so heavily on him before.

_I make such stupid mistakes,_ she could practically hear him say. _I never should have lied, never should have hidden the poisoning._

Leaning in close, she hovered her lips above his and said, “I forgive you. You’re forgiven, Tony.”

Shaking his head, lips still pressed together, he tried to pull away but Pepper didn’t let him. Instead she straddled his lap, evoking another sharp gasp, and gently carded her hands through his hair while he blinked up at her in wonderment.

“I love you,” Pepper told him, a little earlier than planned, but it felt right. Eyes bulging almost comically, Tony inhaled, but Pepper bent and kissed the side of his neck, just below his ear. The fingers that gripped her sides tightened, and he groaned while she shifted, then captured his mouth and poured everything she felt into the kiss.

“I love you,” she said again, whispering it against his mouth while he panted against hers.

“Pep.” She could feel the tremors, feel the way he shook, as if he was about to shatter apart. “Pep. I—“

“You don’t have to say it back,” she said, kissing his forehead softly. “Not until you’re ready.”

She didn’t need the words, not when she could see it in his face —- the adoration, the love, the need —- all the feelings that pulsed through her own veins. It was in the way he seemed to only truly smile, just for her. It was in the way he’d always let her take charge, never talking down to her or belittling her, and how he’d told the Board to accept her as the new CEO or fuck off.

It was in the way he held her close and tight as if she were his entire world, and nothing else, absolutely nothing else, mattered.

He didn’t need to say it. She knew.

“I love you,” she said for a third time. “Let me show you.”


End file.
